


Home is Where You Hang Your Hat

by octopus_fool



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Community: hobbit_kink, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-02
Updated: 2013-09-02
Packaged: 2017-12-25 10:29:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/952017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octopus_fool/pseuds/octopus_fool
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo feels miserable, exhausted and ignored when the company arrives in Lake-Town.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home is Where You Hang Your Hat

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this prompt](http://hobbit-kink.livejournal.com/6263.html?thread=15550327#t15550327) on the Hobbit Kink Meme.

Bilbo wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and wake up in his warm, comfortable smial to the sun shining through one of the round windows. Instead, he was cold, miserable and exhausted. His head hurt, his nose felt stuffy and he kept sneezing. 

He had saved the dwarves from spiders and from the elves‘ dungeons. Admittedly, it might not have been in the most comfortable way, but without him, they would still be at the Elf-king’s mercy. Surely, he deserved to be thanked rather than yelled at by Thorin yet again. 

At least the Lake-Men had taken them in after some initial doubts and the food had been good as well. Still, the feast had stretched on and on as the Master of Lake-Town gave a speech, then Thorin and finally what had felt like every person in that entire hall. Bilbo had just wanted to go to bed and sleep, but leaving early would have been impolite.

They had been shown to the house they would be staying in and Thorin had immediately claimed the largest room, while Fíli and Kíli took the second largest. The other rooms had been taken within seconds as well, everyone sharing with their closest kin.

And that left Bilbo standing here, all alone and without a room. He might as well have been invisible as the dwarves rushed around, singing and talking, their grumpiness from when Bilbo rescued them all but forgotten. No one spared him a glance, and he wasn’t even wearing the ring. He had checked. Twice. 

The house began to quiet down as the dwarves went to bed one by one. Bilbo hadn’t moved, even though he knew he should at least try to find the place where the hard, wooden floor was most comfortable, but at the moment, he was too exhausted and miserable to do even that.

“Bilbo?”

Bilbo looked up at the dwarf, trying to blink back the tears that were beginning to blurr his vision. He would not give any of them another reason to assume he was completely useless.

“Is everything alright, lad?” Bofur asked, frowning in concern. “What happened?”

“I just… everybody…” And with that, the tears finally spilled from Bilbo’s eyes.

Bofur closed the gap, pulling Bilbo into a hug.

“There, there, I’m sure it’s not half as bad as it seems. At least no elves are trying to torture you and no dragon is roasting you yet. I’m sure we’ll be wishing back for this evening when…”

Bilbo broke into sobs.

“I’m just making everything worse again, aren’t I?” Bofur asked cautiously. Bilbo nodded against the rough material of Bofur’s clothes before being hugged even more tightly.

“Maybe I can help if you just tell me what’s wrong?”

Bilbo needed a few moments before he could even attempt to speak.  
“I… I… don’t have anywhere… and… and… and you all just think I’m a… a… burden!” Another bout of sobs shook through Bilbo.

“Shh… that’s not true! We wouldn’t have gotten very far without you. In fact, I think we’d all have been troll food if you hadn’t been there. Perhaps we wouldn’t even have made it out of the Shire alive, the umbrellas some of those hobbits carried looked downright terrifying!”

A small laugh escaped Bilbo despite himself.

“And what was that about not having anywhere?” Bofur asked. “Are you missing your home again?”

“No… well, yes, I always do, but… but… that’s not it. I don’t have a… a bed.”

“Oh! I figured you were sharing with someone else.” Bofur sounded embarrassed. “Do you want to share with me and Bifur? I mean, Bombur is in the other bed in the room, but you ought to be used to his snores by now…”

Bilbo finally pulled away from the dwarf’s shoulder. There was quite a damp spot on it and Bilbo realised he was making a bit of a habit of using Bofur’s clothes as handkerchiefs.

“You wouldn’t mind? And Bifur would be all right with that as well? I wouldn’t want to be a burden…”

“I told you before, you aren’t a burden and Bifur won’t mind either. And if any trolls make it into the house tonight, I’ll probably feel safest next to you.”

Bilbo gave Bofur a watery smile and blew his nose with the handkerchief Elrond had given him in Rivendell. He followed Bofur into the room.

Bombur was already starting to snore but Bifur smiled at him and moved over with a grunt. Bilbo climbed under the blanket and Bofur followed.

A shiver ran through Bilbo as he realised just how cold he had been before. Bofur must have noticed, as he curled around Bilbo and Bifur draped an arm over him from the over side. It all reminded Bilbo of cuddling with his cousins in Tuckborough when he had been much younger and he relaxed into the warmth.

Perhaps he wouldn’t find himself back in Bag End when he woke up in the morning, but he would wake up amongst friends. Bilbo was fairly certain that was even better.


End file.
